Refrigerating apparatus



E. J. COPELAND REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 5, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet1 mu E Copeland .Z'nv-enior Aziorzzeye Nov. 17, 1925. 1 1,561,831

E. J. COPELAND REFB'IGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 5; 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet2 W flamczzzdCqveldzzd @m (wwm Nov. 17, 1 25. 1,561,831 i E. Jo COPELANDREFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 5, 19 4 a Sheets-Shet :5

Y scription.

Patented Nov. '17, 1925.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

INC}, 01 FLINT, MICHIGAN, A

EDMUND J. COPELAND, OF FLINT, -MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T COPELAND PRODUCTS,

CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

REFBIGERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed Kay 5, 1824. Serial No. 710,994.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, EDMUND J. COPELAND, a citizen of the United Statesof America and a resident of Flint, in the county of Genesee and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRefrigeratin Apparatus, of which the following is a 111 clear, and exactde- This invention relates to refrigerating ap-. paratus and has for itsob ect the provision of a new and improve tank for use in domesticrefrigerators for the purpose of, so to speak, storing the cold producedby the refrigerating apparatus in order to maintain the air in therefrigerating chamber at an approximately constant temperature sli htlyabove the freezing point of water while at the same time producing andmaintaining the temperature within a limited. region constantly'belowthe freezing'point. The particular object of the invention is therovision of such a tank having, therein a reezing chamber ofsuflicientsize to receive substantial pieces of meat or the like which is desiredto be frozen-or to be kept 'for suflicient period of time to augmerititstenderness, or to receive trays of water-to be frozen; therovision-of a multiple purpose freezing c amber having provisions forreceiving ice trays without obstructing thejrea'dy cleansing of the.freezing' chamber; the provision of a freezing the tank, vfreezingchamber, and surround-- ing. parts; while further oh'ect's and ad-"vantages of the invention wil become apparent as the descriptionproceeds Inthe drawings accompanyin [and form- ,ing'apart ofthisapplication I ave shown certain phy sical forms in which myinvention can be embodied although it :will'beunderstood that thesedrawings are merely,

illustr ative of the principles of my inven'-- tion and swe t, intended,to limit me to the 1 particular designs and arrangements therein shown.-Fig.-;1"isa front elevation of my, improved tank, certam parts bein 1broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionaview corresponding to the line2-'-2 of Fig.

1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view corresponding to the line 3-3of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showin the relation betweenthe various parts 0% the system.

In these drawings I have shown a metal tank 1 adapted for the receptionof brine, alcohol solution, or other low freezin point liquid, adaptedand arranged to be ocated in a domestic refrigerator or.other box orchamber which is desired to be ke t cool. I have retained theterms-fbrine an brine tank in this specification and claim in accordancewith standard practice in the art but intend to designate thereby anylow freezing point solution whether or not containing a soluble salt andwhether or not the solvent be water. box as substantially rectangular inoutline excepting that the top or roof 2 is slanted, the filling opening3 being located at the highest point thus enablin a certain amount ofvariation in 1i uid devel without I have shown this brin ing the liquidout 0 contact with the i I sulates the metal from the liquid and henceimgede's the cooling of the external air.

' penmg throu h one of the vertical sides of the box is a orizontalrectan lar cas ing 5 defining a freezing cham er. The

corners of this chamber are preferably rounded off as indicated at 6 inorder to facilitate cleansing and the rear wall 7 of this casing isspaced from the rear wall of the boxv to define a vertical passageway.Any suitable means such as a cross bar 8 ma be employed for supportingthe rear en t of the casing.

Located at the rear of the tank is a flatted coil 10 of non-corrodiblemetal tubing extending from a point somewhat spaced from the bottom ofthe tank to the uppermost art. of the same, the turns of this coil be-"mg preferably wound rather closely to-;

gether so as to define a channel for convection currentsQAt its upperend I have shown the coil as curved gradually to horizontal position at12, although this is primarily 'for the purpose of enabling the use 1mthis Well as surrounded by several of pipe forming a continuation of iThe lower encl of the coil 16 ecietl by an extension 16 with an inizllltl the of the coil is an e L siou with the outi 4' iiiitl outletfit.-

utccl on the top or of convenleast Without pockets, but .ibiocingpoi'tion. is prefw some other portion of p the i ciirigeriint liquid, beoesciibccl hereafter; restrict myself thereto. ht Wall of the casing ispi forcibly arranged to anti e l-outed. when closed ":ol the incoming;-chamber. in Wall of this chamber .3 aileptcti to hold vessels Thepreferred metal XOtlS 2Tl-2-l laitl ience m ller than necessity.Preferably i e a the coil. are so istziniioily e wells also isiorns forsupp preforcctl form 0 of riveiis ocate t in one 01 more "rows upon theheight of the chomoer.

.ll'ie -vessels customarily employee. are metal. 24-424 adopted tocontain. Water which. to be frozen, these trays having rims 25 ocleptccto rest on these "rivets. The bottommost troy rests on. the rods 21 andthe amount of metallic contact lhercby permitted is too small to permitserious freezing, oi the tiny to lhc chamber floor; like 'iso thesire-:1. of contact between the rims ontl rivets is too small to permitrigiol freezing. Lille-Wise this type of construction avoids pockets andcrevices in which wticles food can become lodged; in case this be usecl.as o cold storage chamber. The tool; 15 supported in such relation toprovision chomoer 30 that convection colit-cnts 5* my (low around thesome, o partition or shield 31 being preferably interposed encl arrangedto define oir-circulotion openings 32 83. A drip tray 34: is located.beneath the tank and drained through a suitable trap To the outlet 19 isconnected a. compressor 38 which delivers to a condenser 37 from whichthe liques'ieil refrigerant ietums to the expansion coil 10 by way ofthe expansion valve 38. The compressor is 0peretetl by the motorBElconnect-ecl by Wires ell) with a switch controlled by the thermostet,which is generally set to operate at 9. temperature intermediate theoptimum for provision chamber which shoultlloe from. 35 to 40 F. and theoptimum for freezing Water or meat which should be from 20 to 25 Theaction of the air currents is to Warm the upper part of the tank first.The con- Ycction. currents produced in the tool: by the air are feebleand do not seriously effoot the freezing chamber. Ultimately the localworming operates the thermostat and starts the motor. The liquidrefrigerant. now delivered. into the inlet 1? begins to evaporate at thebottom of the coil 10, the horizomal nature of the turns preventingentrapment, at least until the action has progressed. to a point nearoutlet. The

local cooling caused by the evaporation of the refrigerant in the coilcauses a clown- Woi-il current of the tank liquid to occur lhrougb. thecoil, thereby concentrating the coldest liquid about the freezingchamber. As the tank liquid. again becomes chilled, ii continuouslyincreasing quantity of liquid refrigerant collects in the lower path ofthe coil, the upper parts boiling away and passing through the coil 15in the form of o vapor, which issues substantially at the temperature oithe tank liquid. As the action proceeds, however, a time comes when someof this refrigerant liquid is carried m'ouml the llOllZOIlllall turns 12and into the coil 15 Where it is entrapped. and. can issue through theoutlet 19 only by local evaporation which. so chills the adjacent thermostat as to operate a, switch and. stop the compressor. ly this time thecoil 10 will be found well filled with refrigerant which will continueto evaporate a. considerable lime despite the growing back pressurecaused by the sto; ping of the comprcssoiz This, together with thesubniergcnce of the thermostat in the tool; liquid prevents its becomingsufficiently Wm-m to restart the compressor until after :1 considerableidle period, yet owing to its location in llie upper port of that tankit will recommeuc-e the freezing action before the freezing chombei",which is lower down in the tank, has become sufficiently warmed to allowits contents to thaw.

lVith this arrangement it is possible to keep both the pi'oi'isionchamber oiitl the A tui-es with the use of a single thermostat and tooperate the apparatus with a, minimum waste of powers. .l lowever, manychonges, omissions, additions, rearrangements may be inoclo Withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention and I (lo not limit myself inany Wise exceptas recited in my claim.

, Having thus described my invention what- I claim is:

V In refrigerating apparatus, a; brine tank,

having a freezing chamber opening through- 5 the lower part of one ofits wallsand a thermostat chamber opening through one of its 1 uppermostparts,1 and'a refrigerating coil having its initial portion arranged inu right position in cooling relation relative y 'to said freezingchamber, and having its terminal portion arranged in cooling relationrelatively to said thermostat chamber, the turns of said initial portionbeing substantially horizontal to prevent trapping of refrigeranttherein and aportion or the coil between the two portions beingnon-horizontal to insure trapping'of refrigerant in said terminalportion.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

EDMUND J. COP LAND.

